Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

The Kentucky legislature is considering a bill that modifies the teacher retirement board by including a broader group of board members. Another bill would create a tax credit for businesses that want to donate to scholarship funds for underprivileged kids trapped in underperforming schools. The teachers group called Kentucky 120 United said that if any of the bills are passed, they might go on strike. They're also opposed to any attempt to create or expand funding for charter schools and any attempt to move future school employees to a defined benefit plan. It's important to listen to teachers' concerns but they're only part of this public policy equation. We also should be asking what's best for families, their children and the taxpayers—and threatening a strike isn't the way to begin the conversation.